Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta gave the perfect response when asked about Manchester United legend Paul Scholes criticising his team’s style.
Speaking at his press conference on Monday, Arteta was asked about concerns over his tactics and how entertaining the style of football has been this season.
Arsenal have had their critics, though Arteta mainly insisted that he only hears good things from people he’s spoken to around Europe.
The Spanish tactician was then also asked about Scholes in particular, as the pundit has been particularly outspoken about finding Arsenal boring to watch.
See below as Arteta shrugged it off in pretty damning style, making it clear how little Scholes’ opinion meant to him!
? Mikel Arteta's brilliant reaction to hearing that Paul Scholes is not a fan of Arsenal's style of play! ? pic.twitter.com/I4shy7WBKM
Arsenal fans won’t care about style as Arteta’s side close in on titles
Arsenal aren’t exactly playing the free-flowing attacking football that became their trademark under Arsene Wenger for so many years, but that approach didn’t exactly bring much success in the second half of the Frenchman’s reign.
Arsenal fans will just want to see their club get over the line as they chase the Premier League title and close in on the final of the Carabao Cup.
Mikel Arteta shouts instructions during Leeds vs Arsenal (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)
Plenty of teams have enjoyed success with a variety of different approaches down the years, and Arsenal under Wenger were often criticised for not being better at adapting their tactics to grind out results when needed.
Now that AFC are better at that, they seem to be attracting critics too, so Arteta will surely continue to shut out the noise from media figures like Scholes.
See below for details as Dean also revealed the fee for the player, whose arrival still hasn’t been officially confirmed by the clubs…
I'm told Jaden Dixon will be joining Arsenal from Stoke City for a fee of around £500,000. Chelsea were also interested in signing the 18-year-old England youth international.
“I’m told Jaden Dixon will be joining Arsenal from Stoke City for a fee of around £500,000. Chelsea were also interested in signing the 18-year-old England youth international,” Dean posted.
Arsenal get a late deal done as Chelsea miss out on top prospect
Arsenal fans will surely be pleased with this smart bit of business, with Dixon joining for very cheap despite looking like someone whose value will surely increase a lot in the next few years.
Jaden Dixon in action for Stoke City
The teenager has shown huge potential at Stoke, and it makes sense that this was a deal Chelsea were also really keen on.
The Blues have a policy of recruiting the best young players from English football and elsewhere in the world, and it looks like Dixon could have been a good fit.
Arsenal fans will now hope the Dixon deal can be officially announced soon and that he can go on to make an impact on their first-team before too long.
Even if he most likely won’t be a regular straight away, we have seen Mikel Arteta giving plenty of opportunities to top young players in recent times.
The transfer window is now closed, so we’ve rounded up every single done deal by all 20 Premier League clubs over the last month.
It wasn’t the most memorable January transfer window, but read on for every done deal as there were some major deals done by the likes of Manchester City, Arsenal and Tottenham.
For City, it was a pretty exciting window as Pep Guardiola moved to bring in Antoine Semenyo from Bournemouth after his terrific form there in the last year and a half or so.
Meanwhile, Marc Guehi also made the move to the Etihad Stadium to fill the void left by the injured Josko Gvardiol, meaning that long-running saga came to an end a little earlier than expected, with his Crystal Palace contract only a few months away from expiring anyway.
For Arsenal, it was mostly a window of exits, as Ethan Nwaneri joined Marseille on loan, while Oleksandr Zinchenko left for a permanent move to Ajax.
Elsewhere, Conor Gallagher was a big name arrival back to the Premier League, with the former Chelsea midfielder leaving Atletico Madrid after a year and a half to join Tottenham.
Read on for our full list of done deals from this transfer window…
Arsenal
IN
None
OUT
Osman Kamara – Blackburn, undisclosed
Oleksandr Zinchenko – Ajax, undisclosed
Louie Copley – Crawley, loan
Ethan Nwaneri – Marseille, loan
Maldini Kacurri – Grimsby, loan
Aston Villa
Tammy Abraham in action for Aston Villa (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)
IN
Tammy Abraham – Besiktas, £18.2m
Alysson – Gremio, £10m
Brian Madjo – Metz, undisclosed
Leon Bailey – Roma, loan recall
Douglas Luiz – Juventus, loan
OUT
Louie Barry – Stockport, loan
Samuel Iling-Junior, Pisa, loan
Ben Broggio – Falkirk, loan
Jamaldeen Jimoh-Aloba – West Brom, loan
Evann Guessand – Crystal Palace, loan
Aidan Borland – Swindon, loan
Sil Swinkels – Chesterfield, loan
Donyell Malen – Roma, loan with £21.6m obligation to buy
Liverpool have reportedly taken another step closer to signing Rennes centre-back Jeremy Jacquet, who has now had his medical with the Reds.
The talented 20-year-old has been the subject of a lot of interest this winter, with the Athletic reporting on his medical with Liverpool being scheduled.
And now Mike McGrath of the Telegraph has posted on X that that medical has now been done, with Jacquet all set to join Liverpool for a potential £60m package in the summer.
Jérémy Jacquet has completed his medical at Liverpool. The 20yr centre-back will join #LFC in £60m deal, with £55m up front and join in the summer after completing the season with Rennes
McGrath posted: “Jérémy Jacquet has completed his medical at Liverpool. The 20yr centre-back will join #LFC in £60m deal, with £55m up front and join in the summer after completing the season with Rennes.”
Sky Sports’ Kaveh Solhekol had posted about the Blues pursuing the young defender, with Rennes’ preference always being to keep him until the summer.
Perhaps this ended up being the key detail, as LFC have clearly allowed Jacquet to remain with the Ligue 1 club for a few more months.
Jeremy Jacquet in action for Rennes
Chelsea, by contrast, looked like they really needed a new defender now, and this led to them recalling Mamadou Sarr from his loan spell at Strasbourg.
Liverpool fans will be delighted to see their club move quickly to hijack the deal and secure the services of one of the most highly regarded young defenders in Europe.
Arne Slot looks like he could do with a signing like this for the near future, with Virgil van Dijk not getting any younger, while Ibrahima Konate is coming towards the end of his contract this summer.
Chelsea have officially announced that Mamadou Sarr has been recalled to the club from his loan at Strasbourg, while Aaron Anselmino has joined the Ligue 1 side.
The Blues recently recalled Anselmino from his loan stint with Borussia Dortmund, and it looked like this could lead to him being involved in their first-team in the second half of the season.
However, Chelsea have now confirmed that the talented young Argentine has instead gone on loan to Strasbourg for the second half of this campaign, replacing Sarr as he’s returned to Stamford Bridge.
See below for the official announcements, which came in quick succession this evening…
Mamadou Sarr has returned to Chelsea from his loan spell at Strasbourg.
Even if some Chelsea fans might be a bit baffled by all this movement, it could end up being smart business by the west London giants to get Sarr playing under Liam Rosenior again.
Rosenior recently replaced Enzo Maresca as CFC manager, having impressed at fellow BlueCo club Strasbourg.
Mamadou Sarr takes a sip of water (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
Sarr played under Rosenior and performed well, so that could be a useful option for Chelsea to have in the second half of the season.
It will be interesting to see if the talented 20-year-old goes straight into the Chelsea team, but there’s no doubt Rosenior could do with more options at the back.
There’ll no doubt be fans looking into last minute Arsenal vs Chelsea tickets for tomorrow night’s Carabao Cup semi-final second leg, but that game is surely going to come too soon for Sarr.
The Senegal international would really be being thrown in at the deep end if he were to be handed his Chelsea debut in such a big game at the Emirates Stadium, but perhaps after that he’ll get a run in the side.
?? EXCLUSIVE: Dayot Upamecano approves new deal at Bayern, clubs interested are informed!
He’s set to sign new contract soon at FC Bayern, happy to stay as huge boost for the club after big efforts from club and player side to make it happen. ??
Romano posted: “Dayot Upamecano approves new deal at Bayern, clubs interested are informed! He’s set to sign new contract soon at FC Bayern, happy to stay as huge boost for the club after big efforts from club and player side to make it happen. It will be valid until 2030.”
Dayot Upamecano decision looks like a blow for Liverpool
We’ve previously reported on Liverpool’s interest in Upamecano, as has Christian Falk in one of his columns here, but the Reds now look set to miss out on the 27-year-old.
Dayot Upamecano in action for Bayern (Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)
This is hardly ideal for LFC at a time when they look in need of a major shake-up in defence, with Ibrahima Konate coming towards the end of his contract at Anfield.
Meanwhile, Virgil van Dijk is not getting any younger, so there could soon be the need for a player of Upamecano’s calibre to come in and become a new key player in Arne Slot’s back line.
Bayern fans will be delighted, though, as Upamecano can now put the speculation behind him and focus on getting back to his very best.
Fabrizio Romano has some positive Arsenal transfer news today despite it being a mostly underwhelming Deadline Day for the Gunners and a lot of other clubs.
It seems the Gunners have agreed the signing of Stoke City wonderkid Jaden Dixon, with Romano posting that the deal is done for £3.2m.
See below for details as Romano also claims Arsenal view this as a “massive signing” for a very highly regarded young talent…
???? EXCLUSIVE: Arsenal agree deal to sign England U19 international Jaden Dixon on a four-year deal.
Deal completed for £3.2m plus add-ons. Arsenal view the player as a massive signing beating several clubs to the signings. pic.twitter.com/9z5oX5SEKf
Romano posted: “Arsenal agree deal to sign England U19 international Jaden Dixon on a four-year deal. Deal completed for £3.2m plus add-ons. Arsenal view the player as a massive signing beating several clubs to the signings.”
Arsenal have had long-standing transfer interest in Jaden Dixon
This is not the first time Arsenal have been linked with Dixon, with the Daily Mail first reporting on the north Londoners keeping tabs on him almost a year ago.
Jayden Dixon is set to sign for Arsenal
Still, it now seems a deal is close to going through, so Arsenal can say they’ve got an important bit of business done before this evening’s transfer deadline.
Interestingly, it’s not the first time Arsenal have signed a Dixon from Stoke!
Back in 1988, Lee Dixon made the move from Stoke to Arsenal, and he ended up becoming an all-time great for the Gunners, forming part of that legendary back four along with other top defensive players such as Tony Adams, Martin Keown and Nigel Winterburn.
Dixon stayed at Arsenal until his retirement in 2002, winning a total of four league titles and numerous other major honours.
If this Dixon can go on to enjoy even half the career that his namesake had at Arsenal, then he’ll have done very well indeed!
According to Fabrizio Romano on X, Spurs now have a deal in place to sign the 18-year-old, with the Italian journalist giving the move his trademark “here we go!” to suggest it’s all but done.
“James Wilson to Tottenham, here we go! Deal in place for Scottish 18 year old striker to join #THFC project. Arsenal were offering a trial while Spurs offer loan deal with buy option clause now agreed with Hearts. Medical happening now with formal steps next,” Romano said.
It seems Spurs’ offer was key here, with Wilson surely looking like he was better off choosing them for his career development.
Arsenal’s offer was more of a trial, whereas there seems to be a bit more security with his loan to Tottenham.
Arsenal have reportedly made an enquiry about Bayern Munich central midfielder Leon Goretzka, though a move currently looks unlikely.
That’s according to a report from talkSPORT, who state that the Gunners had explored the option of landing Goretzka to give them cover for the injured Mikel Merino.
The experienced Germany international is out of contract with Bayern this summer, so looks to be heading out of the Allianz Arena on a free transfer.
This could have given Arsenal an opportunity to sign Goretzka on the cheap, but it seems this now won’t be happening.
What we know about Arsenal’s interest in Leon Goretzka
Leon Goretzka warming up for Bayern Munich (Photo by Maja Hitij/Getty Images)
Consulting our sources in the industry, we can confirm Arsenal have had some interest in Goretzka, but the 30-year-old appears to have made up his mind to see out his Bayern contract and leave for a new challenge in the summer.
This gives Goretzka more time to evaluate offers that come in, and it’s not necessarily clear that he’d get much more playing time at Arsenal than he’s currently getting at Bayern.
At various points in the day, we’ve been informed that it’s “likely” we’ll see Arsenal sign someone as cover for Merino, but with just over an hour left until the window shuts, this now seems increasingly unlikely.
Arsenal also linked with Sandro Tonali
There have also been surprise rumours today about Arsenal eyeing up Newcastle midfielder Sandro Tonali.
This was confirmed by David Ornstein of the Athletic, but with the reporter also making it clear that Tonali would not be leaving St James’ Park this winter.
Tonali could perhaps be one to watch again in the summer, whereas Goretzka would surely only have been a short-term option as he no longer looks like being at the peak of his powers.
The Sun have also linked Tonali with Chelsea and Manchester City.
Sandro Tonali’s agent has spoken out on the transfer rumours circulating about his client today as Arsenal and Chelsea are both linked with the Newcastle midfielder.
Tonali has shone during his time at St James’ Park and links with bigger clubs won’t come as too much of a surprise, though Arsenal’s interest did come slightly out of the blue earlier today.
The Italy international’s agent Beppe Riso has now addressed the speculation, denying any talks with Arsenal so far.
The Gunners could do with adding more depth to their midfield, and Tonali is the calibre of player who could surely challenge for a place in Mikel Arteta’s side.
Sandro Tonali transfer situation explained
Sandro Tonali arrives for a Newcastle game (Photo by George Wood/Getty Images)
Still, for now it seems like the Arsenal links have been over-egged slightly, with the player’s agent playing the stories down.
Riso did suggest, however, that this could be something he and his client look at in March.
“We will evaluate in March whether Newcastle are open to anything, but right now he is playing in the Champions League, it is not the right moment to talk about it.”
Chelsea rival Arsenal for Sandro Tonali transfer
Meanwhile, Chelsea are now also being linked with Tonali by the Sun, who also mention Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola as being an admirer of the 25-year-old.
It will be interesting to see how this pans out, but Tonali may well find it easier to get more playing time at Chelsea or City than at Arsenal.
Arteta already has Declan Rice and Martin Zubimendi, whereas Tonali could be an upgrade on the inconsistent Enzo Fernandez at Stamford Bridge, or the ageing and injury-prone Rodri at the Etihad Stadium.
David Ornstein has reported on Sandro Tonali and Arsenal after some surprise rumours doing the rounds earlier today.
Posting on X just moments ago, Ornstein confirmed that Arsenal explored a deal for Tonali after being offered the Newcastle United midfielder.
However, for now it looks like there hasn’t been any contact over this potential deal, which looks impossible for the final few hours of this transfer window…
? Sandro Tonali offered to Arsenal by agent so #AFC explored but no contact with Newcastle United; nothing will happen this window. 25yo’s camp put idea to Andrea Berta so looked into as per any player of interest. #NUFC exit now impossible @TheAthleticFChttps://t.co/Dj1rlbgFbH
Ornstein posted: “Sandro Tonali offered to Arsenal by agent so #AFC explored but no contact with Newcastle United; nothing will happen this window. 25yo’s camp put idea to Andrea Berta so looked into as per any player of interest. #NUFC exit now impossible”
Sandro Tonali Arsenal transfer could be one to watch for the future
Interestingly, Ornstein has made it clear that Tonali is a player of interest, so this perhaps means Arsenal will look again at the Italy international in the summer.
For now, this looks like an impossible deal, and one imagines Newcastle will not be at all keen on letting such an important player go.
Sandro Tonali of Newcastle in action (Photo by Omar Havana/Getty Images)
Tonali has shone during his time at St James’ Park and it’s easy to see why a big name like Arsenal would be interested.
The Gunners just lost Mikel Merino to injury and lack much in the way of depth behind Declan Rice and Martin Zubimendi, so Tonali could be an ideal option.
Sandro Tonali exit would be a huge blow for Newcastle
Newcastle lost Alexander Isak in the summer so they surely won’t want another major saga like this in the months ahead.
The Magpies are building something very promising under Eddie Howe, having once again qualified for the Champions League last season, and making it into the knockout stages of this term’s competition.
Still, Arsenal are now favourites for the Premier League title and are closing in on a place in the Carabao Cup final, so it’s easy to see someone like Tonali viewing that as a step up.
Manchester City reportedly have Xabi Alonso, Enzo Maresca, and Cesc Fabregas as their three main candidates to replace Pep Guardiola.
According to the Telegraph, it is considered increasingly likely that this will be Guardiola’s final season in charge at the Etihad Stadium.
Some sources at Man City have seemingly denied this, but the Telegraph still suggest there are those who feel the club may already be planning for his potential replacement.
It won’t be easy for anyone to follow in Guardiola’s footsteps, with the Spanish tactician winning six Premier League titles, the Champions League and other major honours during his ten years in English football.
Manchester City looking at Xabi Alonso as potential Pep Guardiola replacement
It seems one name high up on City’s list is former Real Madrid and Bayer Leverkusen manager Alonso, according to the Telegraph.
The 44-year-old was recently sacked by Real, but previously did superb work at Leverkusen, so will surely not be out of work for too long.
Xabi Alonso to Manchester City? (Photo by Florencia Tan Jun/Getty Images)
The Italian tactician did a decent job at Stamford Bridge and his dismissal perhaps looked a bit harsh, so he could be a good option to consider, as he’s also someone who’s previously worked under Guardiola.
Guardiola record
Won
Drawn
Lost
Win %
Barcelona
179
47
21
72.47
Bayern Munich
121
21
19
75.16
Manchester City
400
83
87
70.18
Cesc Fabregas an outsider for the Man City job?
The Telegraph also name an interesting possible candidate in the form of Como boss Fabregas, who is improving his reputation all the time.
The 38-year-old has over-achieved with Como and one imagines he’ll surely land a bigger job at some point, even if it arguably looks a bit soon for him to be taking on a challenge as big as replacing Guardiola.
City fans will probably be leaning towards Alonso at this stage, but also their main wish will surely be for Guardiola to stay for at least a year or two longer if possible.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has sent what sounds like a pretty strong and clear message to the club over some Deadline Day business.
The Gunners boss was speaking at his press conference today, and suggested there is an urgent “need” to replace the injured Mikel Merino.
See below for Arteta’s quotes, as posted on X by journalists James Olley and Simon Collings…
Arteta left the door open for Arsenal to make a late move in the market to replace the injured Mikel Merino. Says the club are “actively looking at options” and “when you lose a big player like this, you need to look and we need to do everything we possibly can.”
We’re yet to hear anything more concrete on someone who could replace Merino in midfield, with the Spain international looking like being out for the long-term.
Luckily, Arsenal have just got Kai Havertz back from a serious long-term injury, but the club just haven’t had much good fortune in that department in the last year and a half.
Merino is a quality player who’ll be hard to replace, and if anyone else gets injured between now and May then Arsenal could be in real trouble, so it’s easy to see why Arteta seems to be pushing hard for the club to get someone in before the end of today.
Wilson is not the biggest name, so some fans might be disappointed if this ends up being the full extent of their club’s business today.
Still, the 18-year-old has already played regularly for Hearts and at senior international level with Scotland, so he could be someone with a very bright future in the game.
James Wilson transfer: Where will the Arsenal and Tottenham target end up?
We should know before too long if Wilson ends up leaning towards Arsenal or Tottenham.
James Wilson applauds the Hearts fans
As per BBC Sport‘s information as well, the young forward is not considered a first-team signing, so even if the deal goes through it could be a while before his new fans get to see him play.
Wilson may well be tempted by Arsenal as they’re the bigger name and clearly heading in a more positive direction at the moment.
The Gunners also have a famously strong academy, so that could factor into his thinking.
Chelsea winger Tyrique George is reportedly having a medical with Everton ahead of a potential Deadline Day loan with a permanent transfer option.
The 19-year-old attacker has long looked like a big prospect coming through at Stamford Bridge, though he’s struggled to hold down a regular first-team place.
George now looks set to join Everton, with the final touches on the move taking place just hours before tonight’s transfer deadline.
See below for Ben Jacobs’ post on X about George’s medical with the Toffees…
Tyrique George set for an Everton medical ahead of a loan move from Chelsea. Deal includes a buy option.? pic.twitter.com/9wZOHK0OeV
According to Luke Edwards of the Telegraph, the Magpies see this story as “stupid” and “complete rubbish”, so that surely puts all that to bed.
See below for Edwards’ post on X, which came not that long after a surprise claim being made by Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg…
Newcastle United have described stories claiming Arsenal have made a late attempt to sign midfielder Sandro Tonali as “stupid” and “complete rubbish.” But other than that, it’s a good story. #nufc
Sandro Tonali to Arsenal transfer story from earlier today…
And see below for Plettenberg’s post about Arsenal exploring a Deadline Day move for Tonali, even if he added that it looked unlikely due to Newcastle not wanting to sell the Italy international and rejecting an initial approach…
?? EXCLUSIVE | Arsenal are exploring a surprising Deadline Day move for Sandro #Tonali.
It is worth noting that no other sources today have claimed Arsenal made any kind of contact over signing Tonali.
The Gunners may well have some kind of interest in Tonali, who is a top midfielder who’s proven himself in the Premier League.
Still, it’s also a position Arsenal have a lot of good options in, so it’s not clear the 25-year-old would definitely get a lot of opportunities to start games for Mikel Arteta’s side.
Could Newcastle struggle to keep Sandro Tonali?
Newcastle lost Alexander Isak to Liverpool in the summer when a big enough bid came in, so could we see something similar happen with Tonali in the near future?
Sandro Tonali looks on during Newcastle training (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)
Tonali has also seemed pretty happy with life at St James’ Park, and there doesn’t seem an obvious reason for him to give up on Eddie Howe’s promising project.
Still, similarly to Isak, if Tonali attracts interest from even bigger clubs then perhaps he’ll push for a move, and that would give Newcastle something to think about.
For now, there’s little sign of any of that happening.
Fabrizio Romano says a verbal agreement is in place between Chelsea and West Ham for the transfer of Axel Disasi.
According to the Italian journalist, West Ham are now just waiting for Disasi’s final answer as a deal looks very close to being finalised.
It remains to be seen, however, if the French central defender will definitely decide to give his personal green light to the move to the London Stadium.
For now, it looks like this deal is mostly done, with Romano reporting that the key next step is Disasi’s answer to West Ham…
??? West Ham are waiting for Axel Disasi’s final answer on the transfer after verbal agreement with Chelsea over loan deal. pic.twitter.com/HDnjQgRjvI
Still, the 27-year-old may well feel that he could do better than West Ham, who are enduring a difficult season and facing a serious fight to avoid relegation from the Premier League.
The Hammers are currently in 18th place in the Premier League table, six points behind both Nottingham Forest and Leeds United.
Disasi could become a key player for Nuno Espirito Santo’s side and help them stay up, but it makes sense that he’s perhaps unsure about the risk.
If West Ham do end up going down, Disasi will surely find it harder to find another club when it comes to the end of his loan in the summer.
It would probably look better for Disasi to wait for offers from elsewhere, or perhaps to even stay and fight for his place at Chelsea, even if it seems unlikely to get a look-in unless there’s a major injury crisis.
Tyrell Malacia’s transfer away from Manchester United has reportedly collapsed at the last minute after a dramatic intervention from Jason Wilcox.
The Red Devils left-back had been on his way to join an unspecified Turkish club, and was keen for the transfer to go through.
However, as reported below by Joost Blaauwhof on X, Wilcox called Malacia to cancel the deal late on, leaving the player frustrated as he wanted to leave…
NIEUWS: Bizarre deadlineday voor Tyrell Malacia. Linksback was onderweg naar Istanbul, toen Jason Wilcox (technisch directeur) hem tóch terugriep naar Manchester United. Beleidsmaker van gedachten veranderd, tot frustratie van Nederlander, die transfer wilde. Zo meer @VI_nl ?? pic.twitter.com/y115nzX7X7
Blaauwhof posted: “NEWS: Bizarre deadline day for Tyrell Malacia. The left-back was on his way to Istanbul when Jason Wilcox (technical director) suddenly called him back to Manchester United after all. Decision-maker changed his mind, to the frustration of the Dutchman, who wanted the transfer.”
Manchester United make surprise Tyrell Malacia transfer decision
Tyrell Malacia in action for Manchester United (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
The 26-year-old has played only 48 games in four years with United, and 39 of those came in his first season.
Perhaps the recent injury to Patrick Dorgu means MUFC are keen to keep Malacia around for squad depth, but it’s still hard to imagine him getting much playing time between now and the end of the season.
The Netherlands international previously looked like a top talent at former club Feyenoord, but injuries have hampered his progress at United and his career seems to be in major disarray now.
Malacia would surely have benefited from being allowed to leave and start a new challenge elsewhere, but he’s been surprisingly called back now and he’ll most likely just spend the next few months warming the bench and enduring further damage to his career.